Portable garment holder or hanger



May 1949- G. F. WIGGINS 2,470,879

PORTABLE GARMENT HOLDER OR HANGER Filed April 25, 1945 INVENTOR. 4

Mag;

17 TTOR/VE YQS'.

Patented May 24, 1949 UNITED STATES TENT OFFICE PORTABLE GARMENT HOLDER OR HANGER 1 Claim.

This invention relates to a garment holder or hanger designed primarily for supportin hats, although other wearing apparel may be held thereby, the holder being particularly useful in automobiles for the purpose of suspending hats or the like at any convenient points.

A further object is to provide a structure of this character which is simple in construction, cheap to manufacture, and which can be carried readily in a pocket without danger of injuring the same.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists of certain novel details of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter more fully described and pointed out in the claims, it being understood that changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit of the invention as claimed.

In the accompanying drawing, the preferred form of the invention has been shown.

In said drawing:

Figure 1 is a view showing the holder in use, said holder being in side elevation.

Figure 2 is an enlarged front view of the holder.

Figure 3 is an enlarged side elevation of the holder, a portion :being broken away, the hook being shown folded, but its extended position being indicated by broken lines.

Referring to the figures by characters of reference, A designates a single length of spring metal or the like which can be cut from a sheet of metal or other suitable material and is straight in cross section. This strip is provided with a longitudinal slot at the center thereof, as shown at I, and this slotted portion of the strip is folded so as to form an end eye 2, an arm 3, diverging portions 4, and inturned jaws 5. As shown in the drawing, the arm 3 is formed of the two thicknesses of the folded strip which normall contact and within these portions of the strip there is provided a slot 6.

The jaws 5 are normally spaced apart and their active or gripping edges l are toothed or serrated as shown at 8.

A sleeve 9 is slidably mounted upon the arm 3 and when it is in position on the arm the jaws 5 are in their normal positions. However, by shifting the sleeve toward the jaws and onto the diverging portions 4, said jaws will be shifted toward each other so as to grip any object which may have been placed between them.

A pivot pin 10 i secured in the eye 2 and extends across slot I. This pivot pin is engaged by an eye II at one end of the shank [2 of a hook l3, this hook being provided preferably with a pointed bill I4. The hook is so proportioned that, when not in use, the bill I4 can extend into the intermediate slot 6 and sleeve 9 can be shifted so as to surround the bill portion of the hook as shown in Figure 3. Thus the hanger or holder can readily be carried in the pocket or at other convenient points without causing injury,

In using the hanger, the sleeve 9 is pushed away from slot 6 so as to allow the bill I4 of the hook it to be swung outwardly. The article to be suspended is inserted between the jaws 5 and sleeve 9 is then thrust onto the diverging portions 4 so as to cause the jaws to move toward each other and tightly grip the inserted article. For example these jaws will serve as efficient means for engaging and holding the brim of a hat H, as shown in Figure 1. After the hanger has been applied to the article to be supported, the pointed end of the hook is forced into the structure from which the hanger is to be suspended. If this is the upholstery of a motor vehicle, it can be inserted into the upholstery without causing any damage. If the structure is of soft wood, the bill can be forced into the wood. At other times the hook can be placed in engagement with a projecting nail or the like.

Importance is attached to the fact that by forming the hanger of a flat metal strip bent to proper shape, the jaws are made quite broad so that they will not tend to injure any article engaged thereby.

Obviously the article can be used not only for the purposes stated but will also be found advantageous in displaying merchandise in the sales rooms and show windows of stores.

What is claimed is:

A hanger including a single length of resilient strip material folded upon itself at its center to provide an eye, the strip including straight arms extending from the eye in engagement with each other substantially throughout their length, and diverging jaw portions extending from the respective arms, a pivot device carried by the eye, a hook having an eye engaging the pivot device, the arms being formed, between the eye and jaw portions of the folded strip, with matching slots defining an opening equal in depth to the combined thicknesses of the arms, the hook being provided with a pointed bill adapted to be housed within said opening, and a sleeve slidable on the arm to draw the jaw portions together, the sleeve being adapted, when the bill is housed within the opening, to enclose the bill protectively and to prevent movement thereof out of the opening.

GLENN F. WIGGINS.

REFERENCES CITED UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Benjamin July 26, 1910 Number 

